USAID and our partners are using science and technology to establish innovative and improved sustainable water management practices in Morocco. The H2O Maghreb activity brings improved industrial and municipal water management practices to Morocco and the Maghreb region, while also narrowing the gap between the supply and the demand of skilled labor.

The U.S. Agency for International Development Oceans and Fisheries Partnership (USAID Oceans), a collaboration between USAID and the Southeast Asian Fisheries Development Center (SEAFDEC), works to strengthen regional cooperation to combat illegal, unreported and unregulated (IUU) fishing, promote sustainable fisheries and conserve marine biodiversity in the Asia-Pacific region.

As of August 17, health agencies had recorded more than 522,000 suspected cholera cases and nearly 2,000 associated deaths in Yemen, according to USAID/OFDA partner the UN World Health Organization (WHO). However, WHO reports that the spread of the disease has slowed in recent weeks compared to peak levels. USAID/OFDA partners are providing critical health, humanitarian coordination, and water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) assistance in response to the widespread cholera outbreak.

From August 10–12, members of the Tripartite Commission—comprising representatives of the Government of Nigeria (GoN), the Government of the Republic of Cameroon (GRC), and the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR)—convened in Abuja, Nigeria, to discuss the implementation of the Tripartite Agreement, which calls for safe, dignified, and voluntary returns of refugees from Cameroon to Nigeria.

Since January 2016, a team of medical doctors known as WEDS Officers have provided technical assistance to District Health Authorities of the 14 districts most affected by the 2015 Nepal earthquake. USAID’s Office of U.S. Foreign Disaster Assistance (USAID/OFDA) has supported this intervention since February 2016. Project objectives include strengthening disease surveillance and response, and supporting re-strengthening of health services in affected health facilities

The project “Identification and Management of Open Spaces for Disaster Preparedness (IMOS)” supported by USAID/OFDA aims to assist the GoN to continue enhancing their preparedness efforts and establish coherent approaches in responding and managing the needs of the displaced populations after a large-scale earthquake in the remote areas and cities in the hilly districts west of Kathmandu.

The April and May 2015 earthquakes in Nepal damaged or destroyed over 755,000 homes, making housing the single largest reconstruction need and the Government of Nepal’s (GON) highest priority. USAID is funding a number of complementary initiatives to help meet this need and support the GON’s owner-driven housing reconstruction efforts. USAID has provided over $23.3million supporting to the housing sector to date.

The five-year, $10.3 million Baliyo Ghar project, implemented by the National Society for Earthquake Technology-Nepal (NSET), is a key part of USAID/Nepal’s reconstruction portfolio. Designed to help homeowners and communities rebuild in a way that increases their resilience to future disasters, Baliyo Ghar is closely aligned with the Government of Nepal (GON) owner-driven housing reconstruction project which empowers and supports homeowners, allowing them to build back safer. Baliyo Ghar established district- and local-level reconstruction technology centers, construction models, and demonstration homes. Project mobile units provide technical assistance to homeowners at the household and community level. At the national level, Baliyo Ghar supports the GON in developing improved and standardized training curricula and procedures to be used during masons and engineers training and while orienting homeowners.

After the devastating earthquake on April 25, 2015, mental health needs in Nepal increased considerably. The alarming rate of suicidal ideas in 10 percent of earthquake-affected populations revealed through a rapid survey indicated the high mental health burden. As there is no mental health desk at the Government of Nepal’s Ministry of Health (MoH), the UN World Health Organization (WHO), as co-lead of the Health Cluster, is supporting the MoH to fill this gap. Immediately after the 2015 earthquake, there was an urgent need to coordinate among partners implementing mental health response activities to ensure adherence to WHO and Inter Agency Standing Committee (IASC) guidelines.